Two of the nation’s most prominent collegiate athletic conferences have come to an agreement to participate in a unique and ground-breaking season-opening baseball tournament in Florida. The inaugural BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, will feature 27 games February 20-22, 2009, at various spring training venues in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, API Marketing announced today.

All 10 of the Big Ten’s baseball-playing institutions will compete in the inaugural event, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue. Eight BIG EAST representatives will participate, including South Florida, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.

“We are very excited to be a part of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge,” said Iowa Head Coach Jack Dahm. “This will be a great opportunity for both conferences to play outstanding competition against opponents that have the same weather issues. I also want to thank both conference offices for all of the hard work they have put into the Challenge. St. Petersburg is looking forward to hosting not only the student athletes but also all of our fans.”

The Hawkeyes will play Illinois (Feb. 20), St. John’s (Feb. 21) and Georgetown (Feb. 22). The Iowa-Illinois match-up will be a non-conference game, as the two teams do not meet during league play in 2009. Iowa’s contests against St. John’s and Georgetown will be its first-ever meeting between the two opponents.

“The Big Ten Conference is excited to announce the creation of the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge beginning with the 2009 season,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “This season-opening event will provide a unique opportunity for Big Ten programs to compete in some of the country’s finest facilities in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. We look forward to some exciting and competitive games between two conferences with rich baseball traditions.”

Added BIG EAST Commissioner Michael Tranghese: “This is a cutting-edge concept for Division I baseball. It’s a terrific opportunity for our teams to play against great competition in a setting that’s conducive to high-level collegiate baseball. We’ve held our baseball championship in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area twice in the past three years, so we know that our teams are in for a wonderful experience.”

The BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge will be similar in format to the popular conference collegiate basketball challenges that have emerged during the past decade, with participating teams competing against schools from the opposing conference. However, this tournament is unique in that it provides teams from two northern-based conferences with an opportunity to travel to Florida and compete against one another in outstanding, professional-quality venues located in a warm climate.

The tournament is scheduled for the same week that major league pitchers and catchers report to spring training, which will add to the buzz surrounding the event. Games will be played in the various major league spring training venues in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, including Bright House Field, Knology Park and Progress Energy Park/Al Lang Field, with marquee matchups scheduled as part of nightly doubleheaders. There will be eight inter-conference contests daily, with the two extra Big Ten teams competing against each other in non-league games.

“The BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge is exciting for so many reasons,” said Scott Lowe, President and CEO of API Marketing, which will be managing the event. “Any time that you can get schools from two nationally-recognized conferences to compete in any sport in Florida, you’ve got a great product to sell. BIG EAST and Big Ten institutions have a tremendous following and alumni base in Florida. We are planning on promoting this locally as a celebration of the beginning of spring baseball in Florida, and with some of the nation’s top-ranked beaches nearby, we feel like it will be an enticing weekend getaway opportunity for those alums enduring the cold weather in other parts of the country.”

The St. Petersburg/Clearwater area is home to some of America’s award-winning Beaches. Caladesi Beach has been voted the nation’s top-rated beach for 2008, and Fort De Soto Park received similar recognition in 2005. The area offers 35 miles of white-sand beaches on eight major barrier islands and is within minutes of many popular Florida attractions.

“The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission is proud to host this significant college baseball event,” said Kevin Smith, Director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. “We have hosted many great events from the grassroots level to the professional level, however, with the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, BIG EAST Baseball Championship and our regular recruitment of college baseball teams to travel to our area for spring training, we will not only get an opportunity to highlight our award-winning beaches, but also host a fantastic event that our partners in the BIG EAST and Big Ten conferences will most certainly enjoy.”

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